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Friday, August 26, 2011

Farm girls and the winery

Drink up.

The wine glasses we made before
heading out on our tour.

The other weekend I jumped in a limo with a dozen other girls and headed towards wine country. Ok, it was actually only Missouri's wine country, which means North of Kansas City in the Weston/Platte City area of the state. We were off to celebrate a good K-State friend's upcoming wedding.

I am a wine lover, but this was my first time actually going to a winery and doing a wine tasting. Our first stop was the Jowler Creek Vineyard and Winery. Jason along with his wife started making wine out of their home's basement and it has now grown into a successful business.

As Jason started pouring the first glass of wine the questions started pouring out. How many acres, how long were the grapes planted before you could use them for wine, do you buy grapes from other growers? I am sure he was surprised by our questions, but as farm girls these are the things we contemplate while enjoying a glass of wine.

The Chambourin was my
favorite wine.

As Jason poured the next wine sample he told us about how sustainability was important to him and his wife. They use a small sheep breed to help keep weeds down as part of their sustainability plan. These sheep are small enough that they can't reach the vines, but will everything at the base of the plant. Smart idea.

I automatically asked what breed? I think this is when Jason knew something was up. It was quickly explained that he had a table full of K-State College of Agriculture girls. The breed is Babydoll sheep and they are all white. Knowing that we were interesting in farm Jason also talked to use about some trails they were doing with chickens to keep the bugs down and reduce pesticides.

Jason then said something that made me really like him. He said that he loves technology and isn't against it in any way but is willing to explore other avenues that can help his farm be more profitable. Yeah, I bought wine from Jason, and next time I see Jowler Creek Wine on the shelf I'll probably buy another bottle. Technology is awesome and should not be judged, and neither should more traditional ways of farming. Thanks Jason for a great afternoon!

6 comments:

We were at Makers Mark last weekend near Bardstown, KY. Yep, it was a different taste. The tour was fantastic. I make bread and the yeast process is somewhat the same. We didn't buy any bourbon, though. We bought bourbon flavored coffee there! We like the flavor of bourbon (on our steak, in our coffee, etc.) but aren't big drinkers of bourbon.

Oh how fun! And love that y'all made your own glasses! If you ever make it over near the St. Louis area there are some great wineries over there. We visited them in college when we did our Agriculture Industry Business tour.

About Me

These are just a few of the stories that make up the life of an ag girl. I have a passion for agriculture, and want to see farmers remain on the land, raising food for all of us. You'll also get a dash of cattle life from around the country as I travel for work, and some commentary on my hectic life. I love photography, video production, K-State (yes I bleed purple), the livestock industry and have bounced from Alberta, to Kansas, to Missouri, to Iowa. Stay tuned. Follow me on Twitter @crystalcattle